Senator Grace Poe today, Jan. 9, said it is high time for government to tap the private sector anew to modernize the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) following the New Year’s Day glitch that shut down the country’s airspace.

Poe, chairperson of the Senate public services committee, said that since 2018, she has been pressing for the privatization of the operations and maintenance of the country’s premier gateway to address the efficiency and safety needs of increasing passengers every year.

The lady lawmaker said she has always been pushing for the privatisation not just for the air traffic control saytem but of the airport itself.

Poe recalled that talks started in 2017 about the NAIA modernization project to be handled by a mega consortium involving reputable companies.

“Can you imagine if we awarded it to them in 2018 or 2019? During the pandemic, it would have been a downturn for them, but they could have rehabilitated the airport easily because there wasn’t so much activity during that time,” she said.

The NAIA’s rehabilitation would have involved upgrading the airport facilities and expanding the terminals.

Poe said the passenger terminal at Mactan-Cebu International Airport that was completed in 2018 and has made the airport world-class is a model of how privatization works.

“We’ve seen this example in Cebu and I think that GMR Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. has done a fairly good job in designing the airport and running its operation," she said.

“I believe it’s time for this . We still need the Bulacan airport because no matter what improvements you do with the terminals in NAIA or the Manila International Airport, you will never have more than two runways at this point, but you can always improve efficiency,” she added.

On January 12, Poe’s committee will lead the inquiry into the airport power outage that jolted NAIA’s air traffic control, disrupting some 300 flights and stranding thousands of passengers.

Poe said officials of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and other concerned executives were invited to the hearing to shed light on the fiasco.

One of those invited is former DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade.

“This did not happen overnight. Obviously, it stems from many years of transactions and maintenance upgrades. In fact, it’s not just singling out secretary Tugade, it’s also a chance for him also to be able to correct the impression that it was during his time that all these things may have been neglected,” she said.

Poe said the inquiry would focus on how to avert a similar incident that could compromise the safety of passengers.

“We want to know what the agencies plan to do so that this does not happen again. We should find out who are responsible. If there’s somebody whom we can call out, who may have been negligent, of course they have to be reprimanded if not fired,” she explained.